1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the operation of large off-highway vehicles such as moving trucks, long haul trucks, mining trucks and dump trucks employing tires, for example, as large as feet tall, in general, and to a diesel electric motor operation utilized to control the wheels of such vehicles into forward, reverse and neutral manners of movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
With such vehicles frequently being used 24 hour/day, 7 days/week, reliable switch regulation is critical. Whether the switch control be located on a dashboard of a vehicle or alongside the driver's seat, anything less than long-time performance of the switch can result not only in an added cost of replacement, but in the more important taking of the vehicle off-line while a replacement switch is obtained and set to proper use. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a usual control for this is one available from the General Electric Company as an SBM switch employing traditional electro-mechanical components. Although used for many years, such switches are characteristically known to wear from physical contact requiring regular replacement, yet their implementation still continues today.